True Action: Dolemite Is My Name
The buzzworthy Dolemite Is My Name has officially dropped on Netflix and at the risk of sounding corny and cliché… it may be the feel good movie of the year for anyone who has ever dared to chase a dream.
Eddie Murphy delivers a passionate performance as the self-made Rudy Ray Moore, scratching and clawing his way to get his “15 minutes of fame” only to double down and risk it all on Dolemite, a movie that would go on to become a cult classic in the Blaxploitation genre. The Murphy led biopic also boasts an all-star supporting cast and it is as much a story about Rudy Ray Moore’s career as it is the behind the scenes struggles to get the Dolemite movie made and into theaters.
- In The Beginning: Dolemite Is My Name tracks the rise of Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy) starting with his humble beginnings in the early 1970’s working at a record store in Los Angeles by day and emceeing at a local club by night. Rudy’s emceeing is really an attempt by Rudy to be a stand up comedian much to the chagrin of the club owner and patrons… But then inspiration strikes when Rudy encounters a local bum/booze hound, who comes into the record store one day spouting off stories about a character named Dolemite… Rudy grabs a tape recorder and a wad of cash and goes down to an alley by an old hotel, where all the bums and booze hounds hang out and he records their fantastically crude tales, tales that he believes he can polish and refine into an act that will get him noticed and make him the star… Rudy Ray Moore is about to become Dolemite.
- Baby I’m a Star: Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite is an instant hit at the club, which gives Rudy the idea to record a “party album”. It is an album no label wants to touch at first due to the explicit content (which leads to a great scene with Rudy and a record executive getting into a cock sucker debate). This forces Rudy to produce the albums, package the albums himself (and with the help of his friends) and eventually sell the albums out of the back of his trunk. But the album creates a buzz among the African American community in Los Angeles and it isn’t long before an record company takes a chance on Rudy and Rudy finds himself on a tour of small clubs all over the country to promote the album. Sales are so strong, Rudy is called back to Los Angeles to record follow up albums and his comedy album success continues. But after a night at the movies with his friends, Rudy Ray Moore’s dream gets a whole lot bigger.
- We’re Making a Movie: Not surprisingly, there isn’t much support for this film idea… but not surprisingly, Rudy Ray Moore does not let the naysayers deter him. This is where Dolemite is My Name really took off for me as Rudy Ray Moore begins assembling the crew he is going to need to make his movie, Dolemite. Aside from his inner circle and some UCLA film students, Rudy tracks down Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key, The Predator) a writer who was writing plays for a small local theater to write his Dolemite film. Then there was a happenstance meeting at a strip club, when Rudy finds actor D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes, Passenger 57) who Rudy recognizes from Martin’s work in Hell Up in Harlem and Black Caesar. D’Urville balks at first… but when Rudy dangles the director carrot in front of him, D’Urville can not resist.
- Lights, Camera, Action: The dream starts to become a reality and we see Dolemite Is My Name pay tribute to 1975’s Dolemite as filming beings complete with Rudy Ray Moore’s horrible fighting skills, the army of killer kung fu females, an over the top love making scene, a car chase and explosion and the main villain getting his intestines ripped out! And that’s a wrap… but Rudy Ray Moore’s struggles are far from over as he has to fight to get his Dolemite movie distributed.
- The Cult Classic: Despite scathing critic reviews, Rudy Ray Moore’s action comedy Dolemite was a hit with audiences grossing over 10 million dollars upon its 1975 wide release by Dimension Pictures. Rudy Ray Moore’s acting career would continue including a sequel to Dolemite released the following year, titled The Human Tornado…. Other titles in Moore’s filmography include The Monkey Hu$tle (co-starring the incomparable Yaphet Kotto) and Disco Godfather… Moore’s rhymes as the Dolemite character earned him the moniker of the “Godfather of Rap” within the hip hop community… Moore passed away on October 19, 2008. But Dolemite Is My Name is proof that Rudy Ray Moore may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.
